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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
Lateral Molar Approach-Driven Transoral Endoscopic Procedure for Benign Infratemporal Fossa Tumor Resection
Published on: August 15, 2025
Synovial sarcoma of the infratemporal fossa
Victor Lai1, Tarik Y Farrag, Dengfeng Cao
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Virginia, Virginia, USA.
Objectives:
A case is reported in which synovial sarcoma (SS) is arising within the infratemporal fossa.
Design And Setting:
Case report and literature review from an academic tertiary referral practice.
Results:
A 46-year-old white woman presented with a 1-month history of having paresthesias on the left side of her head. There was a sensory deficit at the level of the third division dermatome (V3) of the fifth left cranial nerve. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a mass centered in the left infratemporal fossa. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) revealed a spindle cell neoplasm. An endoscopic, transantral biopsy of the mass revealed SS. The SS in the infratemporal fossa was surgically removed en bloc. The patient had postoperative chemoradiotherapy and is free of disease at 1 year from completion of treatment.
Conclusions:
This is the first reported case from the United States of America of SS located in the infratemporal fossa and the third case to be reported in the English language literature.
